Head of Engineering

Workstream; Edison (CA); Hybrid; USD 200,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and equity

Comprehensive health coverage

401K Plan

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Workstream in Edison, California is seeking a Head of Engineering to lead a global team of over 80 engineers. This full-time, hybrid role requires presence in the Menlo Park office and offers the opportunity to work on a mission-driven platform for hourly workers.

The ideal candidate will have proven success in scaling engineering organizations, be fluent in Mandarin, and navigate both Eastern and Western business cultures. Salary is between $200,000 and $250,000, plus bonuses and equity.

Qualifications

• Proven success leading engineering organizations of 100+ employees.
• Fluent in Mandarin with understanding of Chinese and Western business cultures.
• Capable of making critical architectural decisions.

Responsibilities

• Lead and scale a global engineering organization of 80+ people.
• Optimize delivery cycles and engineering processes.
• Drive alignment between US and China offices.

Skills

Bilingual in Mandarin

Proven leadership in engineering

Technical knowledge

Global mindset

Experience in fast-paced environments

People development skills

Job description

Workstream is a mission-driven company building the all-in-one HR, payroll, and hiring platform for managing the hourly workforce. There are 2.7 billion hourly workers, making up 80% of the global workforce, but this market has been heavily underserved by technology and deserves better. Workstream has been purpose-built for the hourly workforce from day one so that these businesses and their employees can thrive.

Our customers include leading brands from multiple sectors, including Burger King, Carl's Jr./Hardee's, IHOP, KFC, and Culvers. We are a high growth series B company and quickly expanding our product portfolio to deliver on our vision. We are backed by legendary VCs and industry experts like Founders Fund, BOND, and Coatue.

Grow With Us

We are looking for a Head of Engineering to lead our global engineering and QA organizations. Following a period of rapid growth, we are looking for a seasoned technical leader who can unify our distributed teams, optimize our delivery speed, and maintain a high bar for architectural excellence.

Reporting directly to the executive team, you will oversee an organization of 80+ engineers and 12 QA professionals. With 70% of our engineering talent based in China, this role requires a leader who can bridge Eastern and Western business cultures and drive a singular, high-performance engineering culture across the globe.

This is a full-time, hybrid role requiring presence 3 days a week in our Menlo Park office to foster close collaboration with cross-functional teams.

Day In The Life

• Engineering Leadership: Lead and scale a global engineering organization of 80+ people, including Data, Mobile, and Core Engineering teams.
• Operational Excellence: Optimize delivery cycles and engineering processes to ensure high-velocity shipping without compromising on quality.
• Technical Strategy: Make critical architectural decisions and provide technical guidance that supports Workstream’s long-term product roadmap.
• Global Management: Manage a distributed leadership team (including managers of Data, Mobile, and QA) and drive alignment between our US and China offices.
• Culture Building: Foster a unified engineering culture that balances the strengths of Chinese and Western work styles, ensuring all teams are marching in the same direction.
• Budget & Strategy: Manage the engineering budget and headcount planning to support our aggressive growth goals.

Who You Are

• Proven Scale Leader: You have a track record of success leading engineering organizations of 100+ employees and managing other senior leaders.
• Bilingual & Bicultural: You are fluent in Mandarin (critical) and have a deep understanding of both Chinese and Western business cultures.
• Technically Sharp: You are still technical enough to win the respect of senior architects and can navigate complex technical trade-offs.
• Global Mindset: You are comfortable with regular international travel (quarterly trips to China and travel to Canada as needed).
• Startup Grit: You thrive in fast-paced, Series B environments and are comfortable filling leadership gaps during organizational transitions.
• People Developer: You have experience managing high-level Engineering Managers and helping them scale their own respective teams.

What We Offer

• A mission-driven and value-based company dedicated to empower deskless workers and local businesses
• An early employee opportunity at a Series B hyper-growth startup; work with the founding team and industry veterans to accelerate your career
• Competitive salary and equity
• Comprehensive health coverage: medical, dental, and vision. We pay 95% of your premiums for our employees and 85% for dependents
• In office amenities and stocked kitchen
• 401K Plan
• Pre-tax commuter benefits
• Learning/development stipend
• Flexible PTO

Salary Range

In compliance with the California Pay Transparency Law, the base salary range for this role is between $200,000 to $250,000 in Menlo Park. This range is not inclusive of our discretionary bonus or equity package. When determining a candidate’s compensation, we consider a number of factors including skillset, experience, job scope, and current market data.

Additional Information

Workstream provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

We are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals.